So now that all the tomatoes are ready for peeling, let the show begin!
(if there isn't much paring to do on the tomatoes, you may be able to pierce the tomatoes while others are boiling.)

Start by making a little "X" on the top and bottoms of the tomatoes. Make sure they are about 1/2 inch big, and bigger than the tough stem part. I put some slashes on the top of my tomatoes that I cut the tops off, because it gives the skin a place to break.

Drop 3 or 4 tomatoes in the boiling water at a time.

Watch with your slotted spoon at the ready for the first skin to start to wrinkle or peel. It should take just a few seconds. Firmer tomatoes take longer, but none should take longer than 20 seconds. If they are too slimy when peeling, make sure the water is at a nice, hard boil and that the ice water is super cold, to stop the cooking right away.

As soon as you see the skin peeling, scoop it out and put it in the ice water bucket. Repeat till all the tomatoes are out of the boiling pot.

Perfect!

Too long and will be a bit slimy.

I prefer to just keep doing this process until my bucket of ice water is full. If you have a helper, they could do this next part.

Now, take a tomato out of the ice water, and start peeling away! Usually, there is a long, vertical crack in the skin and it works perfectly to simply unwrap the tomato. Sometimes, you can even give the tomato a gentle squeeze and it'll slide right out of the skin.

Then I take my longer blade knife and slice the tomato into chunks or sections and put them in the other pot, ready for stewing or food-processing or whatever!

Keep doing process, adding water to the boiling pot and ice to the ice water bucket as needed, pouring off water (NOT on floor!! But if you are prone to spills like I am, have your hubby grab the mop and a bath towel - *cough*).

These tomatoes eventually turned into Marinara sauce. I first stewed them, with some salt, pepper and a bit of a sweet pepper diced up in it, for a few hours (but you should stop at 30 minutes if you are freezing them that way). Then I followed this recipe for Marinara sauce. Yum!

About Me

I am trying out ads on my blog right now. I do not necessarily agree with what is being advertised. I have restricted certain types of ads but if anything pops up that is against the nature of this blog (immodest, immoral, or otherwise) I would really appreciate knowing about it. Thank you for your understanding.

Make the most of internet shopping. This is what I do...

2. Make purchases through the Ebates website (click the link to your desired shopping site through the Ebates site to earn a percentage back of your shopping)

3. Take advantage of coupon codes found through Ebates, Retailmenot.com or many, many other websites.

4. Make your purchase, using a card that also gives you $$ back on purchases (our debit card does this!)

In the end, you have saved lots of $$! I've been using Ebates for 2 years. Its the real deal. I'm not a sell-out putting a bad link on my webpage.

(Yes, these are referral links, but they will not interfere with your signing up any more than going directly to the website - and it will help me out, which I'd appreciate since I'm sharing my method with you...)

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What Remainsby Joanne Heim

If I spend my days building skyscrapers with LEGOs and creating relationships with other moms at Starbucks, but have not love, I am only the siren of the kids’ ride-on fire truck.

If I have the gift of knowing which child attempted to flush the Hot Wheels down the toilet and which one pushed her sister, and if I have faith that somehow we’ll survive life’s emergencies, but have not love, I am nothing.

If I save all my box tops for school and give outgrown clothing to the local shelter, and if I surrender my body to stretch marks and under-eye circles, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient when someone isn’t ready to use the big-girl potty. It is kind when my husband has a hard day. It doesn’t envy my neighbor who drives the new sport-utility vehicle I can’t afford. It is not rude, snapping at my spouse or children when things don’t go my way. It is not easily angered at perceived or real injustices.

It always protects the smallest, sweetest family confidences; always trusts God to provide for my children’s needs; always hopes in the freshness of tomorrow and the bright future of family; always perseveres amid hardship and doubt.

Where there are sleepless nights, they shall end. Where there are diapers, Little League, and dioramas built from shoe boxes, they will cease. Where there is knowledge of baby-care trends, discipline strategies, and boy-girl problems, it will pass away.

Now these three remain: faith, lived out in my daily circumstances and instilled in my children; hope, of one day rejoicing with my family in heaven; and love, which covers over a multitude of less-than-perfect moments.

But the greatest of these is love. It is what remains… long after I am gone.